The present invention relates to a retaining-wall system. More particularly this invention concerns a retaining wall usable to make a raised planting bed.
A retaining wall for making a raised bed, starting frame, or the like typically comprises a plurality of wall elements, often formed of plastic of downwardly open U-section joined together at their ends. They are assembled on the ground into an annulus and the growing mixture is filled in the center to form a bed that is well drained and of the proper composition, regardless of the properties of the underlying ground.
In Swiss patent 69,290 two kinds of wall elements are used with complementary interfitting ends that can be joined together by insertion of a connection pin through them. Such a retaining wall must be assembled and disassembled starting from one location.
In German 9,107,366 a similar system is shown where connection eyes are provided at the ends of the wall elements so that rods can couple them together. This leaves an open gap between the ends through which the growth medium can leak out.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,018 of Scales shows a system where the wall elements are all identical, having one end with an upper connection eye and an opposite end with a lower connection eye. When the upper eye of one element is aligned above the lower eye of another a stake can be set through the aligned eyes to anchor the system and fasten together the wall elements. It is somewhat difficult to alter the shape of such a retaining wall and it must normally be assembled starting at one end. Once filled, an element cannot be removed and replaced, and the wall shape cannot be changed conveniently.
European 0,716,803 of Kulenkampff shows an arrangement where a wall element is formed at one end with a lower sleeve-like eye formation and at the other end with a longitudinally projecting tab provided with a long downwardly projecting spike. When the spike of one wall element is forced downward through the eye of an adjacent element, it not only couples the two elements together, but also anchors them to the ground.
All of these systems have several defects. They are invariably limited to systems where the wall elements are set at an angle of 90xc2x0 or more, but never less, relative to one another. Furthermore it is impossible to form T- or X-shaped joints to segregate one bed from another within an outer perimeter. Adding wall sections to existing such retaining walls is very difficult or impossible once they are put together due to the alternating nature of the couplings. The known systems are limited to simple installations and cannot normally be modified once they are assembled and the bed is formed within their outline.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved retaining-wall system.
Another object is the provision of such an improved retaining-wall system which overcomes the above-given disadvantages, that is which is easily assembled, dissassembled, and added to.
A further object is to provide such a system where the wall elements can be joined at acute angles to one another to form, for example a pie-like array of growing beds.
A retaining-wall system has according to the invention a plurality of substantially identical wall elements each having an elongated and downwardly open body with opposite ends each formed with a connection having an upwardly directed connection formation and at least one splice element having a body engageable between the wall elements above the connections and having a pair of downwardly directed connection formations complementarily interfittable with the upwardly directed connection formations of the wall elements.
In other words, the instant invention is a retaining-wall system comprising a pair of substantially identical walls having longitudinally extending and upwardly directed top wall surfaces and longitudinally juxtaposed and stepped longitudinal ends. Each such stepped longitudinal end is formed with a longitudinally protruding lower end portion having an upwardly directed top end-portion surface spaced substantially below the top wall surface and a horizontally directed lower end surface below the top end-portion surface. The lower end portions abut one another and each longitudinal end further has an upwardly directed lower connection formation at the top end-portion surface and a horizontally directed upper end surface extending between the respective top end-portion surface and the respective top wall surface and set longitudinally back from the respective lower end surface. Thus confronting upper end surfaces and the adjacent end-portion top surfaces form an upwardly open recess. A splice body overlying the abutting lower end portions and substantially filling the recess has a body top surface horizontally level with the top wall surfaces and is formed with upper downwardly directed upper connection formations fitting with and complementary to the respective upwardly directed lower connection formations. In this manner the splice body joins the walls.
With this system the walls can be joined at virtually any angle to each other due to the use of a separate two-formation splice element. According to the invention the formations extend vertically. Minor irregularities in the underlying ground are not a problem as the splice elements are installed from above, making alignment easy and similarly making it easy to disassemble a wall section if necessary. It is easy to remove any one wall section, for instance if it has been damaged, and replace it without disrupting the bed or at all disturbing the flanking wall elements.
When the splice element has three arms each provided with a respective such connection formation, three wall elements can be joined by the splice element. In fact a four-arm system allows the formation of an X-shaped joint if desired. In the three-arm system the splice element can be T-shaped with the respective connection formations lying on points of a triangle or alternately the connection formations of the splice element can be arrayed in a straight row. In the former system two generally longitudinally aligned walls can be joined to one going off transversely, while in the latter system the end of the third wall is positioned between the ends of the two aligned walls.
The splice element can be formed with a downwardly projecting spike engageable into the ground beneath the wall elements. Similarly the wall elements can be formed between their ends with vertically throughgoing holes so that stakes through the holes can anchor the system.
In accordance with the invention the formations of the wall elements are upwardly open sockets and the formations of the splice element are downwardly extending pins engageable in the sockets, although it is within the scope of the invention to provide upwardly directed connection pins on the connecters of the wall elements and downwardly open socket holes on the body of the splice element.
The splice element can be formed above each of its connection pins with an upwardly open socket hole. Thus a pin of an upper level of such a wall can be joined to it, to make a double-depth planting bed.
The connection of each wall element is formed as an upwardly open sleeve having a part-cylindrical outer surface. In addition each wall element is formed above the respective connection element with a part-cylindrical surface coaxial with the respective socket. The pins can taper downward and the connections of each wall element project from a lower portion of a respective end of the wall element.